Conventionally, aircraft fuselages, main wings, and the like are manufactured using completely cured prepreg laminated bodies. The completely cured prepreg laminated bodies are each formed by laminating a plurality of prepreg sheets, each of the prepreg sheets being formed of a fiber sheet impregnated with resin, to form a semi-cured (incompletely cured) prepreg laminated body and then completely curing the semi-cured prepreg laminated body.
The fibers forming the above-described fiber sheet extend in the same fiber direction. Further, an ultraviolet-curable resin, a heat-curable resin, or the like in a semi-cured state (an incompletely cured state) is used as the resin with which the fiber sheet is impregnated. The resin with which the fiber sheet is impregnated has adhesiveness. Therefore, a release sheet is disposed on one surface of the prepreg sheet.
The above-described semi-cured prepreg laminated body is formed using a prepreg sheet automatic lamination device. Specifically, the prepreg sheet automatic lamination device forms the semi-cured prepreg laminated body by removing the release sheet from the semi-cured prepreg sheet and integrally laminating a plurality of the prepreg sheets while causing the fiber directions of the fiber sheets to intersect each other.
At this time, it is not desirable that air (air pockets) remain between the laminated semi-cured prepreg sheets, since the adhesion between the prepreg sheets decreases.
Further, for example, when the above-described semi-cured prepreg laminated bodies in which the air remains are completely cured using heat (in this case, the resin forming the prepreg sheet is a heat-curable resin), the air (the air pockets) expands, which results in a further decrease in the adhesion between the prepreg sheets.
Therefore, conventionally, the presence of the air (the air pockets) has been minimized between the laminated semi-cured prepreg sheets by press-bonding the semi-cured prepreg sheets using a plurality of compactors each having a piston mechanism (part of the constituent components forming the prepreg sheet automatic lamination device) (see Patent Document 1, for example).
FIG. 18 is a side view schematically illustrating a state in which a compactor group including a plurality of conventional compactors each having a piston mechanism presses a laminated sheet formed of a release sheet and a semi-cured prepreg sheet, via a polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) sheet.
H in FIG. 18 indicates a movement direction of a compactor 201 (hereinafter referred to as a “direction H”). In FIG. 18, since it is difficult to illustrate a plurality of the compactors 201 disposed in a direction intersecting the direction H, only one of the compactors 201 is illustrated.
Here, a conventional compactor group 200 will be described with reference to FIG. 18.
The conventional compactor group 200 includes the plurality of compactors 201 disposed in the direction intersecting the direction H.
The compactor 201 includes a piston mechanism 202 and a compactor shoe 203.
The piston mechanism 202 includes a shaft 204 configured to reciprocate in the up-down direction. The compactor shoe 203 is provided on a leading end portion of the shaft 204.
The plurality of compactors 201 are disposed such that a plurality of the compactor shoes 203 disposed in the direction intersecting the direction H are disposed in close proximity to each other.
This configuration, in which the plurality of compactors 201 are disposed in close proximity to each other, makes it possible to press the entire surface of the laminated sheet, thereby minimizing the presence of the air (the air pockets) between the laminated semi-cured prepreg sheets.
The plurality of compactor shoes 203 that are constituents of the compactor group 200 press a laminated sheet 209, which is a laminate of a release sheet 207 and a semi-cured prepreg sheet 208, via a PTFE sheet 205 (a sheet for inhibiting the release sheet 207 from attaching to the compactor shoe 203).
In this manner, by pressing the laminated sheet 209 using the plurality of compactor shoes 203, the semi-cured prepreg sheet 208 that is a constituent of the laminated sheet 209 is attached to the top surface of a laminate base 214 (specifically, a structural body formed of at least one semi-cured prepreg sheet to form part of a prepreg laminated body) placed on a stage 212.